Synergy critical for slow starters

Javagal Srinath

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Updated: Apr 12, 2013 12:30 IST

The T20 league has entered its second week, with some teams having begun brightly and others not so well, but it is important to keep in mind that this is a long league phase, with each team playing 16 games in the lead-up to the next phase.

It is always a good feeling when you start well, but just as a good start doesn't necessarily mean a team will continue to hold sway till the end, a poor beginning doesn't eliminate a team from the race for play-off berths.

The Pune Warriors and Delhi Daredevils haven't made the best start but neither side has as yet reached the stage where they must start pressing the panic button.

Both will be eager to get on the points table and ensure that they don't have too much catching up to do in the later stages, but it is important as a team to keep their wits about them.

Team synergy becomes extremely critical in such cases. It is imperative that the teams function as a cohesive unit and believe in themselves, because if they lose self-belief, then half the battle lost.

Especially, for teams that need to pick themselves up, pragmatism must prevail over desperation.

Crucial phaseMatches Six through 12 will often dictate where the teams finish on the league table. It's through this middle period that a bit of mental fatigue might set in, especially if you haven't started well.

Consistency through this phase will be paramount. The teams that have a good run in this period will have a better chance of making it to the next stage, because they can then feed off this momentum going into the last four games.

Master of cut, pullTo me, the innings of the tournament so far has come from Dinesh Karthik, in the game against Delhi.

Karthik has been in rich form in domestic cricket, and it was wonderful to see him carry that form with him here.

He has mastered the cut and the pull, strokes that paid handsome dividends at the Stadium. His 86, after the Mumbai Indians had lost Sachin and Ponting with just one run on the board, is bound to make people take notice.